Prototype HD struggles compared to its last gen versions

Activision’s surprise release of a Prototype bundle was a little unexpected. The bundle consisted of Prototype and Prototype 2 on Xbox One, with a PS4 version to follow. Activision promised improved framerates, but this hasn’t been entirely true.

Digital Foundry, the people behind many framerate comparison videos, have examined the Xbox One version of both games and found them to be a little lackluster. Prototype runs at 30 frames per second with dips to mid-20s. The only change has been scaling the resolution up from 720p to 1080p; draw distances and texture quality remain exactly the same, leading the site to call this “a somewhat barebones conversion” but ultimately “passable”.

Prototype 2, on the other hand, didn’t get off as easily as Prototype. DF even went so far as to say it’s one of the “worst performing games on the Xbox One to date,” with framerates in the 20 to 25 region and stutter during cutscenes. In fact, the framerate is actually lower than the Xbox 360 version in multiple areas, and has screen tearing not present in its previous gen counterparts:

This is rather disappointing for fans of the cult-classic Prototype games. Prototype 2’s developer, Radical Entertainment, was disbanded and dissolved into various other Activision teams in 2012, much to the dismay of fans of Radical’s games, so any love for this slightly forgotten franchise is welcome at this point, and this quietly released $50 bundle is perhaps a perfect metaphor for the fate of Prototype.

There is still hope, however, as the PS4 version of the game has not yet been released and it’s possible it may manage to perform as well as its previous-gen counterparts.